San Telmo is the finest museum in the Basque Country and one of the best in Spain, housed in a 16th-century Dominican convent at the foot of Monte Urgull in the Parte Vieja. The building is extraordinary: a cloister with Jose Maria Sert's 1929 murals of Basque history and mythology covering the nave walls in monumental canvases, and a contemporary steel-and-glass extension tucked against the hillside that doubles the museum's space without disrupting the historic fabric.
The collection covers Basque history, culture, art, and society from prehistoric times to the present — fishing communities, rural traditions, the Basque diaspora, the political conflicts of the 20th century, and contemporary Basque identity. The museum doesn't sentimentalise: the sections on the Spanish Civil War and ETA are straightforward and honest. The temporary exhibitions are consistently excellent. Allow two hours; the permanent collection alone is worth the admission.